by Trish Adams | Nov 11, 2013 | Home Gym
Kiki’s home gym
Seven years ago my youngest daughter, Olivia, came into the world. With a 4-year old toddler and a newborn to care for, getting to the gym became too challenging and I seemed to miss more sessions than I would make each week. After discovering a few home workouts, I bought some dumbbells and a step to get started. With no dedicated space, I stored everything behind a couch in our family room, but my home gym was born!
Finding time to get to the gym to train isn’t always easy especially when dealing with day-to-day responsibilities like work and family. Additionally, when you take into account travel to and from the gym, the crowds and waiting for equipment once there, not to mention hygienic concerns, it makes you wonder why everyone isn’t setting up a home gym.
Having equipment at home offers a gym alternative, allowing you to train effectively and efficiently as your schedule permits. To help you get started, I put together a list of equipment that I consider essential along with some nice-to-haves that you can add over time.
Dumbbells You’ll want to have both a lighter set and a heavier set to start. The lighter set will be good for overhead exercises like shoulder press. The heavier set of dumbbells will be used for lower body exercises such as squats, deadlifts and lunges. Since you may quickly progress beyond two sets of dumbbells, another option is to buy adjustable dumbbells, which can range from 5 to more than 100 pounds, eliminating the need for multiple dumbbells.
Resistance bands Resistance bands offer resistance throughout both the concentric and eccentric movement of an exercise, unlike free weights, when performing some exercises. While you won’t be able to perform a max lift with bands, they are great for getting a pump by keeping constant tension on the muscle throughout each rep. Additionally, they are a great option to take with you when traveling. Consider buying two or three bands of varying resistance.
Bench or step While you can perform chest presses, flys and such on the floor instead of a bench, you’ll want a bench/step for other exercises such as Bulgarian split squats, box squats, leg presses, dips, seated presses, etc. When selecting a bench, look for a flat bench offering an incline option to add even more variety to your sessions.
The above list is what I’d consider the essentials for your home gym, especially if you are a beginner. If you are more advanced, move the Olympic bar & plates up to the must have list as well. In addition to the many bodyweight exercises that can be performed at home, you’ll add several dozen more with these options. If you are cost conscious be sure to check out Craigslist.org where you’ll find many of these items. A used dumbbell works just as well as a new one!
As my passion for training grew, I slowly added more equipment to my training arsenal and even managed to wrangle a dedicated room for my gym, which I lovingly referred to as a sardine can because it was so tiny. Just recently, I convinced my husband to give up half of our garage space and that is where I train currently. When you are ready to add to your training tool box, below is a list of other equipment you might consider, in my order of importance.
Olympic barbell & plates If you’re short on space, opt for a 5 or 6 foot length rather than the traditional 7 foot version. All of my bars are 6 foot or smaller. As for plates, start off with a set of 100-150 pounds of varying weights, adding additional plates as you progress. This equipment can also be easily stored under a bed, if needed.
Squat/press or power/half rack As your lifts increase you’ll have trouble getting the barbell safely into position for squats and presses. A rack will assist with this, offering safety options if you train alone. If you won’t have a dedicated space, consider a squat stand that can be put away when not in use.
Pull up bar Power and half racks will likely offer a pull up option. However, if you don’t purchase a rack, consider an over-the-door pull up option. You can use your bands for assistance with the pull up bar until you are able to do them on your own or perform negatives by standing on your bench or a chair.
photo credit: .v1ctor Casale. via photopin cc
Kettlebells Again, look to Craigslist as these can be very pricey. Many exercises performed with kettlebells can also be performed with dumbbells. However, exercises, such as the swing, an excellent exercise for the posterior chain, may be better suited for kettlebells.
Suspension Trainer Suspension training systems are super versatile and are a great option for home and for travel. They offer exercises for all major muscle groups and rely on your own body weight for resistance. You will not only develop strength with a suspension trainer, but can improve core stability, flexibility and balance as well.
Lastly, consider buying items that will provide additional comfort to your session such as weight training gloves, barbell pads, yoga mat, etc.
My work-in-progress garage gym
Whether, like me, getting to the gym isn’t an option for you or you simply prefer the comfort of your own home, the items above will take you pretty far. Always consider the amount of space you’ll have to work with, not only for the equipment, but for you to perform the exercises. Start small and add additional equipment over time. With the money you’ll save on your membership, you will pay for your home gym several times over. However, if you prefer the gym vibe, cool, but still consider having a few options at home for when it’s raining, it’s pouring…or life just isn’t cooperating.
Now that my girls are a bit older I could eek out some time for the gym if I really wanted to, but I have everything I need right down stairs. To be further inspired, check out our Pinterest board, showcasing home gyms, and our shop. Already have a home gym? What equipment is at the top of your must-have list? Drop us a note and link to a pic in the comments. We’d love to see your set up!
by Trish Adams | Oct 24, 2013 | Motivation, Stress, Troubleshooting
Guest Post by Trish
I am a huge advocate for stress management and ridding your life of stress whenever possible.
Have a stressful relationship? Get rid of it. Have a stressful job? Quit. But there are times when you can’t eliminate the stress, for example, when something tragic happens to you or a loved one, or in my case, you actually enjoy the thing that is wreaking havoc on your life.
For the better part of this year I have lead a project that was under staffed with an overly ambitious timeline. To keep my sanity, I’ve had to make a few adjustments to my normal routine.
Get all the sleep. As the project started to heat up, I made sleep my priority above all other activities, aside from the care of my family. When my sleep is off, everything is off. I start making bad decisions and am truly just rotten to be around. I have even had occasion to fall asleep during a meeting – my colleagues have the pictures to prove it! While 8 hours (or more) of sleep is ideal, I find I can get by on 6 when necessary, getting an additional few hours on the weekend. To ensure that I get my sleep on, I have a few tricks up my sleeve.
- Tea in general is relaxing for me. I prefer a mint or jasmine green tea, but also drink chamomile when it’s bedtime. Yogi Bedtime seems to do the trick if I’m feel particularly wound up.
- Melatonin. I don’t use it often, but when I’m having trouble staying asleep, I find that I get 8-10 hours of solid sleep and don’t wake up groggy. Usually the following night’s sleep is just as good.
- When I have several ideas and/or to-dos bouncing around in my head right before bed, I know it’s a recipe for broken sleep. So before going to bed, I do a brain dump by either writing down or creating a voice memo of all these things. This way I’m not worrying that I won’t remember them and waking up hours earlier than I should.
Let it go. Don’t be afraid to let things go. My training regimen is down to one strength session per week. Yup, just one. I could push myself and ‘get it in’, but I know myself well enough to know that I’d be risking injury. In order to get in more training sessions, I’d have to rob my sleep and that is not an option at present. As an alternative, I make sure I maximize my NEAT throughout my day, walking to work, taking the stairs two at a time, etc. It’s what I can manage at the moment and it helps me to still feel active.
Find something that relaxes you. A friend turned me on to Ultimate Yogi over the summer. Of the 14 or so classes, I really only do one – Gentle. This routine relaxes my body and mind like nobody’s business. If I could, I’d do it daily. Whether it’s yoga, meditation or a soothing bath, find something that helps you to unwind, both mentally and physically.
Eat good. Don’t let stress be an excuse for a poor diet. While I’m not tracking my food currently, another one of those activities that I had to let go, I still manage to eat to my plan…most days. Under normal circumstances, I prepare about 80% of my snacks & meals. Nowadays, it’s closer to 50%. However, I keep some prepared foods on hand, such as Trader Joe’s lightly seasoned grilled chicken, pouches of tuna and salmon. Simply add some veggies, salsa, and avocado for a great meal in minutes. Similarly, when ordering in, I order something similar to what I might have prepared. For snacks, I keep fresh fruit, turkey jerky, quest bars and other protein supplements within my reach.
My project is in the home stretch, as they say. I’m rounding third and can almost taste the normalcy. For the past few weeks or so my work days have averaged between 12-15 hours, but amazingly, I don’t feel stressed. I miss my normal, but I’m practicing patience knowing that it is not far away.
In the past, I would have been consumed with not gaining weight during this time, ‘working out’ at the same level to maintain a scale number and keeping my cal intake low. Even though my training volume has been reduced substantially, my calorie intake has not changed. My strength is good and I am even hitting a few PRs. My mind is clear and focused. So much of my ability to get through this period is simply due to a better understanding of how my body works and what its needs are. After two years of EM2WL, it still proves itself to me over and over again. I miss my beloved iron that I only visit once a week, twice if I’m lucky, and my EM2WL peeps. It has been a roller coaster of a year, but I’m still thriving!
by Trish Adams | Sep 5, 2012 | Testimonials, The Journey
Where do I start…hhhmmm, well, throughout my childhood I was always of average weight. When I graduated high school I wore a size 6. My first encounter with being overweight came during my first year of college. I gained the typical 15 or 20 pounds, so following graduation I joined a gym with my boyfriend at the time. I immediately fell in love with the choreography of step aerobics and attended classes regularly. Occasionally I would walk the track around the gym, glancing at the intimidating machines and free weights section. While I would never go into the ‘man’ section (aka free weights), I did try out the nautilus machines. Of course, I didn’t have a clue as to their proper usage or set up so I quickly lost interest and stuck with my cardio.
Some years later I reconnected with an old high school flame whom I would eventually marry. By that time I managed to work my way into a size 12. It was at this time that I tried losing weight using a fad diet. These diets either restricted calories or carb intake or some combination of the two. They worked, but only as long I stayed on them, which was never for very long. This was also the start of a long battle with binge eating.
Fast forward 5 years to the birth of my first child. My weight ballooned and I was up to a size 14. I was miserable. Never in my life had I worn that size and I didn’t know how I was going to change it. With a newborn to take care of, I didn’t think I should be running off to the gym (note: I did wise up after baby #2). So, I stuck with my size 14s and occasionally found a size 12 that fit…score!! As my daughter grew older I wanted to get back into my first love so I bought a step for home which came with a DVD…Cathe Friedrich All Step. I was in heaven…the workout was just as intense as my live gym classes. I started watching Cathe on Fittv and ordered more DVDs including weight training DVDs. Slowly the weight started to come off. During this time I still tried different diets, but the restrictions always left me on a food rampage undoing any progress that was made.
Fast forward another 8 years, which included the birth of another child, I have made fitness and maintaining a healthy lifestyle a primary pursuit in my life, so much so that I get up as early as 4:00AM to get my training in. Over the years I’ve made lots of fitness-minded friends who have similar goals to mine and have learned greatly from them. This past year I was lucky enough to become friends with a well known rambler, Kiki, who introduced me to eating more to weigh less as well as implementing bulking and cutting cycles in my training. Both concepts were new to me and quite frankly a little daunting at first, but I jumped in with both feet and have been amazed. After successfully going through my first bulk/cut cycle I am still wearing my size 8 pants and although the scale is a few pounds more than before, I’m not concerned because I know some of that weight is due to the additional muscle I am carrying.
For me there is no turning back. I’ve done the research and what I have found supports what EM2WL is all about. Never again will I subject myself to eating 1200 calories. I know I can lose weight on a calorie-restricted diet, but it will cost me some of hard earned muscle I’ve built and that’s not an option. I’m looking forward to my next bulk/cut cycle kicking off this fall and I am spreading the word to family and friends about eating more to weigh less.
Have an EM2WL transformation to share? Willing to let us tag along on your journey? We’d love to see it! Be featured on our Transformation/Journey page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com
As my passion for training grew, I slowly added more equipment to my training arsenal and even managed to wrangle a dedicated room for my gym, which I lovingly referred to as a sardine can because it was so tiny. Just recently, I convinced my husband to give up half of our garage space and that is where I train currently. When you are ready to add to your training tool box, below is a list of other equipment you might consider, in my order of importance.
Recent Comments